
My name is Jamie Gassner, I am a senior at Oregon State University studying forestry, specializing in forest management and forest restoration and fire. So far, I have had a great time this summer at Starker Forests, where I have already learned so many new things and met so many great people.
This week, we were in Sweet Home to take part in the annual Mid-Willamette Valley Interagency Fire School. This was my third time attending fire school, and it was definitely one to remember!
This year, I enrolled in two distinct classes. One course delved into the shift from follower to leader within the fire environment, while the other concentrated on the roles and obligations of an initial attack incident commander. I found both courses incredibly engaging, and I felt privileged to learn from instructors with over a decade of experience in wildland fire protection.
One of the most important lessons I learned from my time at fire school this year was the significance of fostering open lines of communication and practicing attentive listening not only in a professional setting, but also within all facets of life. We gained valuable insights into the significance of effective leadership and followership, recognizing the profound fulfillment that these qualities can bring to a team.
One of the most interesting activities that I took part in this year was sand table exercises. Sand tables are a resource used in many fields to practice strategic planning and increase readiness for different types of scenarios. In our case, our instructors were creating different types of fire scenarios, and were testing our ability as incident commander trainees to handle and manage those situations, all while in a practice setting.


Apart from the classroom sessions during the week, I truly enjoyed the time I got to spend with new and old friends. I was able to meet up with some friends of mine who I have fought fire with, in the past, but also had a blast hanging out with and getting to know the other interns better.
To wrap up the week, we participated in a live-fire day on Friday, providing everyone with the chance to engage in and practice fire suppression activities within a controlled setting. During this training session, I was tasked with operating the water pumps for Division Bravo (half of the firefighting resources on site). Accompanied by three other first-year colleagues, I had the privilege of not only operating the Mark 3 pumps, but also guiding and instructing them on its operation.
This experience stood out as one of the most fulfilling moments of my week, as it allowed me to acquire new skills and knowledge regarding pump operations and communication protocols as a pump platform contact; as well as giving me the opportunity to share my knowledge with others.


While I found my time at fire school to be fulfilling, I am excited to return to the Starker office next week and discover the exciting new things we will have the opportunity to learn.
–– Jamie Gassner